Sleeping Beauty (Gender bender)
by Tarienlover
Summary: We all know the classic story of Sleeping Beauty. What if Aurora was Aland the beloved Prince of King Stefan. And he was cursed by the evil wizard Malefiso. Will he have a happy ending like Aurora? Or will his ending be darker?
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time there was a mighty kingdom ruled by the fair and noble King Stefan and his beloved Queen Leah. Everything was perfect in this kingdom except they did not have a child to succeed the throne. Queen Leah longed for a child of her own as she would sit by the window and stare out at the beautiful countryside that surrounded the palace. The neighboring king, Hubert, would often come to visit with his young daughter and she would lavish the girl with love and affection. "How I wish I had a little one of my own." Finally King Stefan and his queen were blessed with a child! It was a beautiful baby boy, a prince. They named him Aland, after the sun, for he filled their hearts with sunshine. They held a ceremony to greet the new prince and everyone in the kingdom and the neighboring ones as well came to bring gifts and blessings for the child.

King Stefan and Queen Leah were seated on their thrones as they welcomed the visitors. After greeting the happy parents, they would go look at the newborn prince. He was lying in a crib not far from the queen so she could reach him if need be. He would look up at the different people who would stare and coo at the adorable baby. When King Hubert arrived with Princess Felicia, Queen Leah got up and brought her over to see her son. They had already decided that they would be married and she wanted to see how Felicia would react seeing her future husband. The girl looked down and all she saw was a chubby baby with drool covering his front, and she was not impressed. Leah chuckled seeing the girl's reaction.

Everyone looked up when the trumpets sounded, signaling the arrival of the three good fairies; Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. They glided down from the ray of light that suddenly illuminated the throne room. Flora was the eldest of the three and wore a red dress and matching hat, Fauna wore the same style dress and except hers was a forest green, and the youngest, Merryweather, wore her dress and hat in a light blue. As they came down to rest on floor they fluttered over the now sleeping prince.

"Oh the little darling!" Merryweather cooed.

Now that they had seen the infant, the fluttered over to greet his proud parents.

"Your Majesties." They said in unison as they dipped in a curtsy. Flora stepped forward to begin speaking.

"Your Majesties, we shall bless the prince with three gifts. No more, no less."

Stefan and Leah nodded and the fairies glided over to stand around the crib. Flora stepped closer to administer her gift.

"Sweet Prince, my gift to you shall be the gift of Joy, may you never be blue." As the fairy waved her wand to cast the spell, tiny green lights fell softly onto the baby.

Flora stepped back and Fauna took her place. She smiled sweetly and said, "Tiny Prince, my gift shall be the gift of Loyalty, may you always be true." Just as Flora had, she waved her wand and red lights floated down to him. Merryweather walked up to bestow her gift, but as she opened her mouth to utter the spell the windows and door flew open as a gale of wind swept through the throne room. Tapestries billowed on the walls as a crack of lighting struck the middle of the floor. In its wake a green fire burned and a man was revealed as it dissipated. He wore a black cloak with purple trimmings, his skin was pale with a green tint. He had long curving horns on the top of his head, and his golden eyes had a steely glint to them. In his left hand was a staff with a crystal ball on the top, a glossy black raven flew around to perch on the ball. The man smiled, sending chills down the spines of the guests. As he stepped forward the staff echoed through the hall with a clack. Stefan, Leah, and Hubert rose to block the new arrival.

"It's Malefisto!" Fauna gasped.

"What does _he_ want?" Merryweather grimaced. Flora shushed her not wanting to attract his attention. Malefisto stopped in front of the monarchs and looked around at the visitors.

"Well, King Stefan, quite a glittering assemblage we have here.' His deep voice echoing in the stillness. 'Royalty, nobility, the gentry, and-", he pauses as his gaze fell on the fairies. He chuckles, "Oh, how quaint. Even the Rabble."

Merryweather charges toward the evil man, but is held back by Flora and Fauna. He chuckles seeing how much he affects the little goody goodies. He turns back toward the hosts, "I had hoped that it was merely an oversight that I did not receive an invitation. But as I can see from all of your reactions,' he glances meaningfully at Merryweather, 'that I'm not wanted."

Queen Leah steps forward and asks in a shaky voice, "I hope you are not offended, Your Excellency."

Malefisto turns is gaze to the queen, causing her to step back toward her husband. Stefan puts a protective arm in front of her. Malefisto smirks and says in an overly happy voice, "Why of course not, Your Majesty. And to show you that I bear no ill will, I too shall bless the child."

Fearing the worse the fairies step protectively in front of the crib. Malefisto raised his arms, causing the raven to fly off. Slamming his staff down he bellowed, "Listen well! All of you! The prince shall indeed grow to be a fine young man. Beloved by all who know him."

The crowd was deathly quiet, waiting with baited breath to hear what spell he would cast. Malefisto's smirk drops and starts to circle his hand around the crystal ball on his staff. "But before the sun sets on his sixteenth birthday, he shall prick his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel,' images could be seen in the ball to match the words of the spell, 'and DIE!" The crowd gasped as they saw an image of a grown prince lying lifeless on a bed.

"No!" Gasped Queen Leah as she ran to hold her precious baby. As if she could shield him from the horrible fate that had been cast on him. Malefisto's cackle echoed through the hall as King Stefan ordered his guards to seize him. However the evil man disappeared in a blaze of green flame, his raven following. The hall was silent as the truth weighed down on the once joyous celebration. King Stefan wrapped his arms around his wife and son, wishing he could do something to change this. Queen Leah stared down at the small bundle in her arms. Aland slept peacefully, unaware of the danger he was now in. Hubert placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, feeling for the man. He couldn't imagine something like that happening to his own child. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather stepped forward. Flora cleared her throat to get their attention. Once all eyes were on her she said, "Do not fear, Your Majesties. Merryweather still has her gift to give."

Stefan gazed at her with hope, "So she can undo this fearful curse?"

Fauna shook her head sadly, "I'm afraid that he's too powerful."

Stefan's head hung in despair. Fauna continued, "But she can help."

Flora and Fauna pushed her toward the baby in his mother's arms. Leah held him out so the floating fairy could see his sleeping face. Merryweather gulps, hoping she can fix this. She pushes her sleeve up and raises her wand. "Sweet Prince, if through this wicked wizard's trick, a spindle should your finger prick, a ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, the fateful prophecy you shall keep, and from this slumber you shall wake, when from true love's kiss, the spell shall break." Blue lights drifted down to envelop the child. Queen Leah hugged the infant close and placed a kiss upon his head. King Stefan ordered everyone to leave, as he had work to do in order to protect his only child.

Hubert followed him to give his advice and help in any way he could. He sent Felicia to stay with the Queen. They walked to the baby prince's room which was next door to the King and Queen's. She started to pace around the room trying to come up with a plan to stop this horrible curse. Why did this have to happen? Her baby didn't do anything! As if sensing his mother's distress, Aland started to whimper. Leah stopped and started to rock him, patting his little back and making soft shushing sounds. Felicia watched from across the room where she stood by the window. She was witnessed everything and was stunned by what had happened. How could anyone curse a helpless baby? She had known King Stefan and Queen Leah all her life and they had only ever been kind and gracious to everyone. She had been there with Leah as she had pined for a baby and when she finally had one, _this_ happened! She vowed that she would protect Prince Aland no matter what.

King Stefan, still fearing for his child, ordered that all the spinning wheels be destroyed. Hubert agreed that it was a necessary precaution. They watched from the castle windows as a huge bonfire was lit in the courtyard and all the spinning wheels were thrown in. Queen Leah held Aland through all of this, she was afraid that if she put him down Malefisto would come and take him away. Although they knew they had sixteen years before the curse would be complete, they still feared that he would be taken away sooner. News about the curse spread throughout the land and many sorcerers and magician came to see if they could break the spell on the tiny prince. Alas, just as the good fairies said, Malefisto's power was too great. The only hope that the innocent baby had was the spell that Merryweather cast.

Princess Felicia took to holding Prince Aland when the Queen needed to sleep for a short time. The poor woman wasn't getting any sleep, what with the intense worry she had and just the struggle of having a newborn. Although unlike most, Aland did not cry as often. For the most part he was a quiet, happy baby. He was sleeping at the moment in the princess's arms. She was rocking him gently in the rocking chair next to the window. He started to stir so she put her finger next to hand and he gripped it in his little hand, falling back asleep. She smiled and pressed a kiss unto his forehead and continued to rock him.

Unknown to the monarchs, the good fairies had a meeting in one of the empty rooms. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather locked all the doors and as an extra precaution, they used their magic to shrink themselves and flew into a small jewelry box. As Fauna and Merryweather settled down, Flora locked the door to the jewelry box sealing them in. Flora turned and faced her fellow fairies.

"Alright, girls. Let's start the meeting."

"Yes! How can we further protect the prince?" asked Fauna. She conjured up a floating tea set and served hot tea and cookies. Merryweather sat down and grabbed a cookie and her cup. She started to scarf them down, as she was a nervous eater and this was definitely a nervous time.

"Why don't we just go and show that horned creep who's boss?!" She said with a growl.

Fauna looked at her shocked. "Merryweather! You know we can't do that. Our magic doesn't work that way. We are all about love and kindness. It wouldn't do anyone any good."

Merryweather glowered while stuffing another cookie in her mouth. "Well it'd make me feel better."

Flora stirred her tea with her wand as she paced around the small space. She always paced when she thought, which annoyed Merryweather to no end. She tuned the others out as she was trying to come up with a plan.

"Why don't we turn him into a flower?" Flora asked. "You see a flower can't prick its finger!"

"Oh he'd be a lovely flower!" Fauna cooed.

"Yea, until Malefisto sends a frost." Merryweather huffed. Flora and Fauna sighed. What could they do that would keep him safe and away from Malefisto? If only they could just take him away. Hide him somewhere. Flora gasped, "That's it!"

"What's it, dear?" Fauna asked.

"We'll take the prince into the forest and raise him ourselves!"

Fauna and Merryweather looked at her as if she'd gone insane. Merryweather was the first to speak.

"And how do you expect to raise him? We've never taken care of a baby before. Plus they're so much work! You gotta feed it, change it, ro-"

"And rock it to sleep! Oh, sounds wonderful!" Fauna interrupted. Merryweather huffed. Of course she'd be on board. As she thought more about it, it seemed like the best plan, but she wasn't too keen on being tied down for sixteen years. Flora continued to lay out her plan.

"Oh, if humans can do it, so can we. Now there's the abandoned woodcutter's cottage, that'd be the best place. We can fix it up and it's deep enough in the forest that no one would find us."

Merryweather thought for a few minutes and asked, "Well of course it'll be easy with magic."

Flora spun around and flew right up to her. "Oh no! There will be no magic! It's too risky."

Merryweather backed away as Flora started for her wand. "Well how will we cook and clean and all that?"

"Oh we'll all pitch in!" Flora exclaimed as she took Fauna's wand. Using her own wand she turned their fairy made clothes into normal human clothes. And with a flick of her wand she made their wings disappear. Merryweather, now without wings, was having a harder time getting away from Flora. Sadly, she tripped and before she could get up Flora grabbed her wand. With a satisfied huff, she walked to the door and opened it. Using her magic to un-shrink herself and made her way to the door, until she heard Fauna calling for her. Without their wands Fauna and Merryweather could not use magic, so Flora returned them to their original size. The three fairies rushed to King Stefan to tell him of their plan. They found the royal couple in the baby's room, watching Aland sleep in his crib. They all gathered around and listening intently to the brilliant scheme the fairies had created. It took some time, but the King and Queen finally agreed to let the three take their most prized possession and raise him as their own. For sixteen years and a day they would not see or hear from him. That night, with no pomp and circumstance, the fairies raced into the woods, carrying a sleeping Aland, to an old woodcutter's cottage, where they would be safe until the fateful day when he would be reunited with his loving parents.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews, it really means a lot! I wonder how many noticed that I used the actual lines from the movie? It was so hard to figure out which gifts to give him, since it would be kinda weird to give a guy beauty, and singing, hope they're not too bad. Anyways, don't own! Don't forget to review if you would like and happy reading!**

The sun shone brightly over the rolling hills and forests, casting warmth to all who basked under it. Flocks ran over the dewy grass to where their shepherd stood, farmers dug into the rich earth to plant their crops. All around there were people working, sweating under the sun. Deep in the forest, where the sun didn't shine as bright, a lonely young man also worked. He was carrying a basket in which to place the berries and nuts that he found. He knew it wasn't the rightful chore that a man would do. Normally, it was a girl who would gather and a man who would do things like chop wood, or some other manual labor. He did do those chores, but sometimes he liked to go out by himself into the quiet of the wood and take his time picking. He would listen to song birds who would flit around the branches and sing him sweet love songs. Small chipmunks and squirrels would run around his legs, chattering. He always had a soft spot for animals, big or small, he usually shared his lunch with the ones who were brave enough to come close. He does have a few that he has become very close to. There was an old barn owl that he had saved a few years ago, a couple of song birds that he raised, and the special animal that was his best friend. He didn't get to see him often but when he did they spent hours together.

This young man, who was walking blissfully under the canopy of trees, came across a clearing. It seemed the perfect spot to stop and rest. As he sat down with his basket he looked up at the sky, the sun making his hair glow. He had golden hair that flowed in waves around his pale face. His bangs were short enough to where you could see his bright blue eyes that shone like the ocean. His long legs stretched out in front of him, bare feet playing in the soft grass. He wore a simple long-sleeved white shirt with a black vest. He looked down at his gray breeches, noticing the grass stains that had formed. It was time for them to be washed again. His aunts wouldn't be happy. He was constantly getting his clothes washed, he would try hard not to get dirty but they always seemed to accumulate dirt and stains. He sighed and went to stand up to head back to the house, when he heard rustling in the bushes. He turned his head to see what had caused it. It was obviously bigger than a rabbit or squirrel, and he had an idea of what it could be. He slowly stood up and got into a defensive position. He held his breath as he waited for the creature to show itself. It grew quiet and nothing happened for a few minutes. He relaxed and went to walk away when suddenly he heard a crash and whipped around to see a giant full grown bear! He dropped the basket and went completely still hoping that the bear didn't rush him. While he could defend himself, he knew that it would be all over if it decided to attack. The bear was shifting on its paws, snorting into the air. He suddenly raised up on its hind legs and let out a huge roar. Knowing that the last thing he should do was run, he straightened up into his full height and gave his own roar at the beast. The bear dropped down onto all fours and gave a snort. Then suddenly, the bear rushed at him! He braced himself for impact hoping that it didn't hurt too terribly, when the massive animal collided. He was thrown to the ground as the bear started to snort and try to go for his face. He pushed at the bear's face and muzzle hoping to get it off, but his arms were at a definite disadvantage when it came to the size and strength of a full grown bear. It easily got past his defenses and went straight for his face. The last thing he saw was the bear's mouth opening wide to start its attack.

In a clearing not far from the young man was a quaint woodcutter's cottage where three women diligently worked to make everything ready for the party in a few days. One was working on checking on supplies for the food, one was looking at designs for the new clothes, and the other was cleaning the house. Indeed these three were very excited, as they had been waiting for this day for sixteen years. Yes, these women were the three fairies that had traded their wands for human tools. Even though Merryweather hadn't been too keen on the no magic rule, it turned out be a wonderful plan! She, along with Flora and Fauna, had put aside all their differences in order to raise the prince into the wonderful young man he is. Merryweather sighed as she recalled those hard first couple years. It was very tough to learn how to cook and do pretty much everything as a human, not to mention raising a newborn baby! In order to protect Prince Aland, they changed his name to Briar. While they didn't want him to know about his birthright until the day he would be brought back, they did make sure he had the schooling that would help him. Simple reading, arithmetic, and etiquette were the most of what he was taught. As they didn't have any neighbors, Briar didn't know what was "normal" for a peasant to know. Flora taught him how to dance a simple waltz, "just in case you meet a pretty girl" she had said. Looking back, Merryweather wondered if it had been a good idea to keep so much from him. After all, he would have to go back in a few days, and she could only imagine the shock of having an entire kingdom thrust into your future. She walked over to Fauna, who was checking all the ingredients they had for the cake they would be making.

"Fauna, do you think we made the right choice?"

Fauna stopped what she was doing and looked over the woman, who still to this day wore blue. Placing her hand on her shoulder she said, "Why, whatever do you mean, dear?"

Merryweather shrugged and expressed her concerns for keeping secrets from Briar. Fauna sighed, "I admit that I've had thoughts about this, as well."

Merryweather nods, glad to not be the only one. She wondered if Flora felt the same way but before she could go and ask she heard a shriek from outside. They ran outside to see what had happened and saw to their shock, Flora whacking Briar with a broom! He was covered from head to toe in mud, sticks and leaves sticking up every which way in his once golden hair. He had his arms raised in defense while having a grin plastered on his face. Flora was yelling about what a messy boy he was, and how he made more work for her. Looking behind him they saw the cause of why he was in such disarray. Looking at each other they both said one word. "Bernie." Sitting on his haunches, cleaning his claws, not a care in the world was a giant bear. The same bear that had "attacked" Briar. When he was just a cub his mother was killed by hunters and so he was wandering around trying to survive, when a young Briar found him. It took some time but by bringing him food and slowly earning his trust, he gained a life-long friend. Bernie had become Briar's best friend and before he became too big, he would sleep in his room on a rug at the foot of the bed. Now that he couldn't fit inside the small cottage anymore, Briar would sometimes sleep outside and cuddle with the big fuzzy baby. That's exactly what Bernie was, a baby. Even though he would go off for days on end to look for more food, he would always come back, and as soon as he smelled his friend he would run to him and tackle him to the ground where he would shower him in kisses and hugs. Of course being a good four hundred pounds made it difficult for Briar to stay clean when he wrestled with him. Briar laughed good-naturedly while apologizing to his doting aunts for the mess he made. He placed his half empty basket on the table as he went to change in his room. Most of the food he had gotten was devoured by Bernie before he could save what was left.

After bathing and getting into some clean clothes, he helped his aunts in preparing dinner. It was always a fun time when he helped them. Sometimes he wondered how they had survived with how much they messed up the cooking, but it was always edible and he never went hungry. After dinner they all sat around the garden watching stars and talking about random things. Briar mostly sat and listened as they told stories of him growing up and all the fun they'd had over the sixteen years. Flora paused in her story to wipe her eyes. Briar stopped in his petting of Bernie's head, who was on his lap, to ask if she was ok. Flora smiled softly, nodding. He got up and knelt in front of her and clasped her hands.

"What's wrong, Aunt Flora?" He asked in the soft, dulcet tones of his voice.

Flora gripped his hands and smiled, "It's nothing, dear. Just seems like just yesterday you were but a babe, and now you're almost sixteen."

Fauna and Merryweather nodded their agreements. They were going to miss these quiet times. He wouldn't be their little Briar, he would Prince Aland and would be treated as such. Briar gazed at each of his loving aunts. He knew that they loved him, and they had been the best parents he could ask for. He drew Fauna and Merryweather over to Flora and proceeded to wrap them in a big hug.

"Why are you all sad? You all act like this is end! I'm only sixteen, it's not like I'm going away. I'm gonna be right here with you!"

The fairies returned the hug and after a few more minutes told Briar it was time for bed. He said goodnight and gave Bernie one more hug before retiring to his room. They all sat together, gazing at the stars. Fauna was the first to break the silence.

"I hope things go well. I couldn't bear to see the curse completed."

"Don't worry, girls. Malefisto has no idea where he is. And once his birthday passes everything will be fine." Flora said.

Merryweather nodded, "That's right! We did our job very well."

They all looked up at the window that led to their sleeping charge. They knew everything would be over soon, so then why did they have such an ominous feeling?


End file.
